How to hire a policy advisor

How to hire a policy advisor, step by step

Here's a step-by-step policy advisor hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a policy advisor job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new policy advisor
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a policy advisor do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your policy advisor job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a policy advisor for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect policy advisor also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   Here's a comparison of policy advisor salaries for various roles:

   Type of Policy Advisor	Description	Hourly rate
   Policy Advisor		$32-67
   Business Development Internship	A business development intern is responsible for supporting the organization's goals and objectives in providing the best services to clients and ensuring a smooth flow of operations with maximum productivity and efficiency. Business development interns observe the operational processes of the department and perform duties under the supervision of a direct manager or tenured staff... Show more	$12-20
   Business Development Consultant	The role of business consultants is to provide an analysis of a company on its business practices and make recommendations for long-term goals. This role is also connected with various duties and responsibilities, including reviewing the company's financial statements, engaging in research on how to improve the company's offers, and developing new business models... Show more	$25-65

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Public Policy
   • Policy Issues
   • Policy Development
   • Policy Recommendations
   • Policy Analysis
   • Government Officials
   • Policy Research
   • External Stakeholders
   • Human Services
   • Public Health
   • Medicaid
   • Policy Proposals
   • Policy Positions
   • Federal Government

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage all issues relate to high quality survey administration including training and approval/certification, performance oversight and data collection.
   • Work over the phone troubleshooting wireless devices, mobile and computers including windows and macs.
   • Facilitate and participate in departmental policy meetings concerning healthcare, Medicaid, social services, telemedicine, grant opportunities and budgeting.
   • Construct business system infrastructure providing the pathway to grow executive, mid-management, and customer facing staff for management consulting firm.
   • Serve as a principle author and key personnel on the successful $25 million DHS contract proposal.
   • Provide technical advice on Medicare including, payment and reimbursement models, and statutory requirements.

   More policy advisor duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your policy advisor job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A policy advisor salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a policy advisor in Colorado may be lower than in Massachusetts, and an entry-level policy advisor usually earns less than a senior-level policy advisor. Additionally, a policy advisor with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average policy advisor salary

   $98,220yearly

   $47.22 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level policy advisor salary

   $67,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 22, 2026

   Average policy advisor salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Massachusetts	$115,877	$56
   2	Texas	$108,543	$52
   3	California	$108,311	$52
   4	New York	$106,669	$51
   5	District of Columbia	$103,451	$50
   6	New Jersey	$102,000	$49
   7	Michigan	$101,527	$49
   8	Virginia	$101,145	$49
   9	Pennsylvania	$100,519	$48
   10	Georgia	$100,260	$48
   11	Maryland	$100,244	$48
   12	Washington	$94,872	$46
   13	Illinois	$91,936	$44
   14	Oregon	$84,903	$41
   15	Wisconsin	$82,381	$40
   16	Arkansas	$81,500	$39
   17	Iowa	$80,369	$39
   18	Utah	$76,895	$37
   19	Colorado	$76,469	$37
   20	Wyoming	$73,638	$35

   Average policy advisor salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	NAIC	$141,982	$68.26
   2	Federal Reserve	$140,503	$67.55
   3	Exxon Mobil	$135,454	$65.12	7
   4	Google	$128,285	$61.68
   5	The Aspen Institute	$125,781	$60.47
   6	Federal Reserve Bank	$124,680	$59.94	1
   7	The Nature Conservancy	$121,290	$58.31
   8	Thoughtworks	$121,201	$58.27
   9	IIF	$115,695	$55.62
   10	AARP	$114,420	$55.01
   11	Berkeley Research Group	$113,032	$54.34
   12	Citi	$112,863	$54.26	18
   13	Booz Allen Hamilton	$108,930	$52.37	10
   14	Tesla	$108,133	$51.99	7
   15	International Rescue Committee	$106,869	$51.38	1
   16	Prime Therapeutics	$105,988	$50.96
   17	Renewable Energy Group	$105,331	$50.64
   18	San Diego Gas & Electric	$103,609	$49.81
   19	Catholic Relief Services	$100,664	$48.40
   20	American Nurses Association	$100,284	$48.21

4. Writing a policy advisor job description

   A good policy advisor job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a policy advisor job description:

   Policy advisor job description example

   • Analyze and review of on-going procurement related activities and issues being worked across the Executive Branch and the IC enterprise as identified by the Senior Procurement Executive (SPE) and draft proposed resolution plans ;
   • Contracting Officer experience and expertise in support of working groups and team meetings with various IC agencies concerning issues such as IC Information Environment (IC IE) "Service of Common Concern" and enterprise software/hardw are/services solutions (EAs and ELAs), as well as IC IE acquisition and technology issues;
   • Technical support to interagency and Executive Branch boards, including the Chief Acquisition Officer (CAO) Council; Procurement Committee for E-Government, Suspension and Debarment Committee; IC Procurement Policy Council, IC Procurement Executive Council, ;
   • Providing contracting office management expertise in support of IC Acquisition Workforce to include assessments and
   • Planning and executing studies, working groups, projects, and other activities that span across the multiple organizations and agencies for the SPE;
   • Technical research, analysis, reports and presentations in response to internal and external ad hoc tasking and requests (e.g., CDAs; Office of Management and Budget (0MB) and OFPP; EXCOM, DEXCOM , DNI, POONI tasks, etc.);
   • Review of contracting documents , to include acquisition strategies , contracting strategies, Requests for Proposal, Determination and Findings, etc. to ensure sound contracting practices are employed;
   • Engaging IC elements, other government offices, and in dustry, as required, for research and benchmarking purposes to accomplish assigned tasks;
   • Providing technical support and expertise to the IC SPE on Supply Chain Risk Management policy development and process implementation;
   • Providing and uploading content to the IC SPE webpage in accordance with AP&F Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and processes , to include updates to the Federal Acquisition Regulation and other agency This may entail uploading content from publically available websites in accordance with applicable security procedures;
   • Providing support in planning and monitoring contract policy, analysis and development;
   • Interviewing the appropriate personnel at each of the IC elements, including but not limited to National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), National Security Agency (NSA), National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), as required to accomplish analysis related to the above topic areas;
   • Developing and delivering white papers and briefings as required to document and provide the results of any analysis performed .

   Qualifications

   • TS/SCI with Poly level clearance is required
   • Bachelor's degree or higher in contracting, economics, business, law or similar
   • Twenty or more years of experience as a government Contracting Officer, demonstrating:
   • Performance of the full range of federal government pre-award and post-award activities utilizing various types of contracts;
   • Expert knowledge of Federal contracting regulations, policies, and
   • Experience as a Contracting Officer within the Intelligence Community.
   • Experience planning and evaluating procurement and contracting programs and
   • Experience in developing and recommending policies and procedures and other guidelines in support of Federal procurement and contracting
   • Experience managing a group or team of contracting officers
   • Credentialing: Achieved Level III DAWIA, FAC-C, or equivalent certification in Contracting

   Peraton Overview

   Peraton drives missions of consequence spanning the globe and extending to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. As the world's leading mission capability integrator and transformative enterprise IT provider, we deliver trusted and highly differentiated national security solutions and technologies that keep people safe and secure. Peraton serves as a valued partner to essential government agencies across the intelligence, space, cyber, defense, civilian, health, and state and local markets. Every day, our employees do the can't be done, solving the most daunting challenges facing our customers.

   An Equal Opportunity Employer including Disability/Veteran.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find policy advisors for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your policy advisor job on Zippia to find and recruit policy advisor candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit policy advisors, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new policy advisor

   Once you've decided on a perfect policy advisor candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new policy advisor first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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